The Color of Hope
by Lioness Blackfire
Summary: Prismatic Light and Lioness Blackfire uncover the darkest secrets of Rainbow Land and it's residents. Of course, Rainbow Brite is all for it. Right?
1. Come to Rainbow Land

Disclaimer: This is a Rainbow Brite fic. However, it also contains   
elements from Dragonriders of Pern and Neopets. Don't worry if you don't   
know those two things, it's only animals and food I'm borrowing. It won't   
be too confusing, I'll give descriptions or it will be a given mental   
picture. And by the way, none of this is really mine except my characters   
(which include: Prismatic Light, Lioness Blackfire, Sunlight, Moonlight,   
Persephone, Blackie, Pan, Apollo, Mithra, Iris, Aoi, Ringo, Zuki, Cherry,   
Kirai, Laurel, Minami, Aiko, Butterfly, Dragonfly, Lime, Mika, Runner,   
Starra, Start-up, Sparkle, Sage, Thyme, Rosemary, Dancer, Night, Kawaii   
and Love) and my "old names" for the RB characters. I'm only taking them   
out to play. If you feel like using my characters, e-mail me saying you   
are. I'll feel honored and privileged that someone wants to use my silly   
people (or animals) in their fics. My addy is lioness@rainbowbrite.org k?   
Have fun reading!  
Note: I'm making the "Happy Talk"-speaking sprites speak... slightly   
hashed japanese. I'm only just learning, so don't expect much out of them.   
If there's a crucial word I can't remember, it will appear in   
japanesed-english. : P  
  
  
Book One  
The Color of Hope  
By: Lioness Blackfire  
  
  
Chapter One: Come to Rainbow Land  
  
A rainbow shot through the sky as a girl walked below on the ground. Her   
short copper-red hair fell about her face. Rainbow Brite looked at her.  
  
"This is just as hard as the first time we met Brian!" She exclaimed.  
  
"She is being awful stubborn." Twink agreed.  
  
"It's like she can't even see the colors!" Starlight commented. Rainbow   
started.  
  
"You don't think... she can't actually see the colors, do you?"  
  
"The way she's acting, I wouldn't be surprised." Starlight replied.   
Rainbow squinted at the back pocket on the girl's jeans. A pair of glasses   
was sticking out of them. The metal bridge of them was broken in half.  
  
"Hmmm... maybe we can give her a little help. Twink, a red star   
sprinkle!" Twink pulled a red star out of the little purple pouch on his   
belt. Rainbow held the star sprinkle over the star on her color belt and a   
red beam of light shot out and hit the center of the glasses. Red being   
the warmest color, it wasn't long before the metal melded back together,   
fixing the glasses. Rainbow retracted the beam and suddenly the girl   
stopped walking. She touched her pocket and pulled out her glasses. Twink   
stared at her in awe.  
  
"Look at that, she's staring straight at the rainbow and doesn't even see   
it!"  
  
"It's hard to believe." Rainbow observed. "But I can't deny it." She   
thought for a moment. "I wonder if that's how Shy Violet sees?" Suddenly   
they heard a voice call out.  
  
"Rainbow Brite!!!" They all looked down in surprise.  
  
"Did she call us?" Twink asked.  
  
"Rainbow! Starlight!! Twink!!!"  
  
"She really did!" Starlight recoiled slightly.  
  
"Well, if she know us I guess we could go down. She doesn't sound like   
Murky or the Princess." They nodded at each other and Starlight ran them   
down to the bottom of the rainbow. Once there, Rainbow Brite hopped off   
and looked at the girl. Her eyes sparkled a deep green. The girl dropped   
to her knees in front of Rainbow.  
  
"It's really you... Rainbow Brite." She reached out one of her hands   
toward Rainbow, who took a step back.  
  
"Who are you?" The girl pulled her hand back.  
  
"Oh, of course you don't remember me. It's been too many years." She held   
up a necklace with a bow pendant and a red jewel, looking more in Twink's   
direction than Rainbow's. Rainbow squinted at it. "It's me... Prismatic   
Light."  
  
"P-Prism?" Twink stuttered. "It really is..." he whipped around to   
Starlight and Rainbow. "Look, guys! It's Prism!"  
  
"Prism?" Rainbow questioned. "Who's that?"  
  
"You don't remember Prism?!" Twink cried. "She was around before you,   
Rainbow. But Starlight, I thought you'd remember her!"  
  
"I've never seen her before." Starlight admitted.  
  
"But if you were around before me, how do you know my name?" Prism smiled   
sassily.  
  
"I have my ways." Twink ran up to and tackled her, hugging her around the   
waist.  
  
"Prism! I can't believe it's you!" Prism laughed and hugged him back.  
  
"I'm glad to see you too, Twink! You're not the little red sprite I   
remember."  
  
"I survived Murky's reign though, didn't I?"  
  
"You sure did!"  
  
"Say, I know you ended up here on earth, but whatever happened to Liona?"   
Prism looked down. "You don't mean...?"  
  
"Really, I don't know. She disappeared and I passed out. When I woke up I   
was here on Earth like this."  
  
"Well we have to take you back to Rainbow Land! Maybe Shy Violet could   
help you figure out what happened!"  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Shy Violet!" Twink stopped. "Oh yea, you only know the old names...   
um..."  
  
"Old names?" Rainbow asked. Twink turned to her.  
  
"Yes. Before Rainbow Land was taken over by the darkness-" Prism coughed.   
"No offense to Liona- we all had different names. Or, the color kids did   
at least."  
  
"Color KIDS?" Prism asked. "HOW are you the color KIDS?"  
  
"Well, we're kids." Rainbow said, stepping forward.  
  
"But..." she looked at Twink. "Did the long imprisonment shrink them or   
something?"  
  
"I guess that's what it was. I don't remember how long the evil was in   
charge." Rainbow sat down on the ground.  
  
"I'm getting confused."  
  
"Sorry, Rainbow." Twink said.  
  
"It's ok I guess, Twink." she replied. "Just, answer some things for me."   
Twink nodded. "First of all, Prismatic Light, what color do you guard?"  
  
"Color?" Prism looked at Twink, who looked apologetically at her. "The   
Angel Warriors don't guard colors..."  
  
"Angel Warriors? We're the Color Kids, not Angel Warriors. And we do so   
guard colors! We're in charge of all the colors in the universe!"  
  
"The Angel Warriors protect the universe from destroying itself. I do so   
with the power of light. The others use their own respective powers. You   
just happen to be the leader and owner of rainbow powers. HOWEVER, that   
does not change the powers of the others."  
  
"How can you explain the Color Cave and Star Sprinkles then?" Rainbow   
asked. Prism smiled.  
  
"It's to compliment your power and provide fuel for it." She looked   
wistfully up at the sky. "Had I retained some... any of my powers or their   
fuel, I would have come back." Rainbow looked at the ground.  
  
"I'm sorry to hear you got stranded here. But, um, why didn't the kids   
ever tell me they had other powers?" Prism absentmindedly twirled a strand   
of her hair as she pondered that.  
  
"I don't really know." She thought for a moment longer, then snapped her   
fingers. "It COULD be that after the evil was overthrown and they   
digressed in age, they tried to use their powers and found they no longer   
worked. They would have been absolutely crushed, I know, and then perhaps   
they just never told you." Rainbow soaked that in for a moment.  
  
"Ok, I'll take that." There was an awkward moment. "So, uh, I guess you   
should come to Rainbow Land with us?"  
  
"Really? You'll let me come just like that?"  
  
"Well, yea. If you were a Color Kid or Angel Warrior or whatever, you   
deserve to come to Rainbow Land." Prism's eyes filled with tears and she   
sprung forward and hugged Rainbow around the shoulders.  
  
"Oh thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!!!" Rainbow laughed   
when she was released and beckoned Prism toward Starlight, mounting him   
from the mane. Prism walked up and calmly mounted behind Rainbow in a more   
normal, Earth fashion, followed by Twink who jumped up, as usual.  
  
"Hold on tight, it's quite a ride!" Prism nodded and put her hands on   
Rainbow's shoulders. They rode in silence for a minute. Once they reached   
outer space, Prism loosened up a little.  
  
"So, who is this 'Shy Violet' you mentioned?"  
  
"I'm not sure." Twink replied. "It's been so long since the days when you   
were around, I can't remember the names."  
  
"Well... what's her hair color?"  
  
"Light violet." Twink replied with a confused expression. Prism grinned.  
  
"Ah! Shy Violet is Alette!" Twink thought that over.  
  
"You know, that name DOES sound familiar." Starlight admitted. Twink   
snapped his... er... nonexistent fingers.  
  
"Oh yea! Alette had the knowledge duty! I remember now!" Prism smiled   
again.  
  
"Yup. Remember what her power was?" Twink thought again, and finally   
shook his head.  
  
"No, sorry."  
  
"Don't worry about it." There was more silence. "Hey, do they still have   
their belts?" Twink nodded.  
  
"Yes, but they aren't quite the same as before the evil came."  
  
"Oh? Well, I'm sure that will change." Rainbow frowned at that.  
  
"What do you mean 'that will change'?" Prism looked surprised.  
  
"Well, you didn't think I'd come and just leave them without their   
powers, did you?" Rainbow made a face.  
  
"No, but I hadn't really thought about it at all."  
  
"Well, if I can find my old power source then I'm going to change them   
back into their old selves." Rainbow looked down at Starlight's mane, a   
little sad. Prism noticed. "I can change you too, if you want." Rainbow   
glanced back at her.  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Really. But only if we can find my power source, like I said."  
  
"What is your power source?"  
  
"Well, I either need to charge my belt on firework energy or to have Sun   
Crystals."  
  
"You can use firework energy?"  
  
"Yup! Convenient, isn't it?"  
  
"Uhh... yea, I think. Anyways, we're nearing Rainbow Land. Get ready to   
meet the Color Kids." Prism looked excited.  
  
"Good! I can't wait to see Persephone again!" Starlight glanced at her.  
  
"Persephone? Who's that?"  
  
"My dragon." Rainbow glanced back at her again.  
  
'This is going to be a LONG week...' She thought, and directed Starlight   
down the rainbow, into Rainbow Land. 


	2. The First Night and Breakfast

Chapter Two: The First Night and Breakfast  
  
Rainbow Brite directed Starlight down the rainbow onto the top of the   
Color Castle, then the ground in front of it. Canary Yellow and Spark were   
walking towards the Castle, back from their shift in the Color Caves.   
Canary waved.  
  
"Hi Rainbow!"  
  
"Konnichi wa!" Spark greeted her also.  
  
"Hey there Canary!" Rainbow replied, but she wasn't paying attention.   
Canary was studying Prism intently.  
  
"Gosh, I know I've seen you before, but where?"  
  
"Onna no ko Purisumatiku Raitu-san des ka?" Spark suggested.  
  
"Don't be silly, Spark." Canary said, studying Prism even closer.   
"Prism's been dead for over five hundred years." She then took a step   
back. "I think...?" Patty O'Green walked up.  
  
"Hey Rainbow, who's the new girl?"  
  
"Moshi? Onna no ko Purisumatiku Raitu-san des!" Spark repeated. Patty   
whipped her head around to look at Prism.  
  
"It's really... oh my god it is..." she stood stunned for a moment   
longer, then ran towards the girl and jumped at her. Prism caught Patty in   
mid-jump, hugging her. "Prism! It really is you! Everybody thought you'd   
died, but I knew... I KNEW you were alive somewhere!!!" Prism held the   
girl, something she'd have never been able to do at Patty's old height.  
  
"I've missed you too, Yuki." she looked up at Canary. "And you too,   
Levana. I've missed everybody." Canary giggled.  
  
"You still use the old names?" she asked. Prism shrugged.  
  
"I don't know the new ones." Patty jumped down.  
  
"You've got to see the others!" she turned to face Rainbowland Central.   
"Sprites!" she called. A group of five Sprites came scrambling over. "Go   
and get the rest of the Color Kids here, quickly, please!"  
  
"Hai!" a blue one saluted and they all ran off. The first one who was   
retrieved was Red.  
  
"Red Butler at your service, Patty! What's the trouble?" Prism   
practically fell off Starlight laughing. When she finally cought her   
breath, she looked down at him.  
  
"Oh *giggle* oh, you haven't changed at ALL, Inteus!" He looked over at   
her.  
  
"Did... did you just call me 'Inteus'?"  
  
"Yup." He looked at her with a puzzled expression on his face. Patty put   
her hand on his shoulder, an uncommon display of affection towards Red.  
  
"It's Prism. She's back." He gaped at her.  
  
"Oh my gosh..." then he turned away, blushing. "I can't beleive you're   
seeing me like this." Prism giggled again and hopped off Starlight.  
  
"Don't worry. I'm just amazed to be seeing you all again." She kelt down   
and Red practically flew into her arms. After a moment, he realeased   
himself.  
  
"It's great to see you, sis." Rainbow shook her head vigourously before   
looking back at them.  
  
"S-sis?" Red let down his ego and grinned at Rainbow.  
  
"Yup. Me, her and Liona are triplets." Rainbow groped for words for a   
minute before finally just surrendering to a slightly exasperated sigh.   
Red and Prism laughed.  
  
"Are... are there any more relations I wasn't informed of?" she said as   
she found her voice. Red looked thoughtful, but didn't get a chance to   
respond because at that moment Tickled Pink and Moonglo came running up.   
Moonglo stopped, but Pink ran right up to Prism and smiled up at her with   
tear-filled eyes. She suddenly flung herself at the teenager.  
  
"Big sis!" Rainbow hung her head.  
  
"Of course... the red kid and the pink kid are related."  
  
"Hey there, Flora! How've you been, sweetie?"  
  
"Ok. But it's hard being the littlest."  
  
"I know. But now I'm back to help you!"  
  
"Really? To stay?"  
  
"No doubt about it."  
  
"Oh hooray!!! Say, where's Liona?"  
  
"Uh... I'm not exactly sure. Is she still alive?" Pinkie cocked her head.  
  
"Yes. I can feel her very strongly. Better than ever before." Moonglo   
looked at them. Rainbow was watching Moonglo's expression.  
  
"Hello, Prism." she said cautiously. Prism looked up, and Pinkie went   
over to stand next to Rainbow.  
  
"Oh. Hello, Valentina." There ensued a long, awkward silence.  
  
"What's going on?" Rainbow whispered to Pinkie.  
  
"Oh. At the time when the evil came, Prism and Valentina... er...   
Moonglo, were at odds over something." she whispered back. "I think it was   
because of Rosabel."  
  
"Rosabel?"  
  
"You'll figure it out really soon." The rest of the Color Kids arrived at   
that time. As you might imagine, it was a momentary chaos while everybody   
cried and hugged their long-lost friend. Finally everybody calmed down.  
  
"Now, where are my favorite twins?" Buddy squeezed through the crowd of   
Kids and Sprites, bursting forth into the empty cricle around Prism.   
"Kado!" She gave him a quick squeeze. "Where's Rosabel?"  
  
"Oh, she took to herself a LOT after you disappeared." Rainbow had   
decided that this 'Rosabel' must be Indigo. It would have made sense in   
her mind, the two blueish color kids being twins, and the comment about   
seclusion. She looked around.  
  
'No... wait, Indigo's here. Who could it be then?" Suddenly thunder was   
heard along with the wild neigh of a horse. Within seconds, Stormy had   
ridden down. She looked at Prism for a long moment, who stared back. Then   
she jumped off Skydancer and walked semi-calmly over to her.  
  
"Sorry I'm late, Prism." There was another long silence in which the two   
looked at each other and then they embraced.  
  
"No worries, Rosabel." she replied. Rainbow looked pathetically at them.  
  
"Listen." She said. "I really hate to break up a reunion of apparent best   
friends, but I need to get this sibling thing straight." They all looked   
at her.  
  
"Oh. I'd forgotten you don't know about all this." Violet commented.  
  
"Oh, it's ok I think. Just give me a second here." She looked at them   
all. "Ok, so Red, Prism and the apparently still-alive Liona are triplets,   
and Pinkie is their little sister." the others nodded. "Now I found out   
that Buddy and Stormy are twins?"  
  
"That's right!" Stormy replied cheerfully, casting an arm around her   
twin's neck.  
  
"So is that it?" Rainbow asked.  
  
"Not quite." Canary said.  
  
"Yes." Patty chimed in. "Me and Canary are sisters. I'm older by about a   
hundered years."  
  
"Oh great." Rainbow replied.  
  
"Is this too much for you all at once, Rainbow?" Moonglo asked. Rainbow   
nodded.  
  
"I think so."  
  
"It is getting late." Moonglo continued. "I shoud be starting the night   
soon. Maybe we can sleep now, and you'll feel better in the morning." To   
everyone's surprise, Prism stood up.  
  
"Well THAT is definitely a super idea, Valentina!" She said. "Let's all   
go." Moonglo smiled back at her, a rare occurance. Everybody went their   
own ways, until only Rainbow and Moonglo were left.  
  
"Thanks, Moonglo." She said. Moonglo walked over to her and placed a hand   
on one of her shoulders.  
  
"You gonna be ok, Rainbow?"  
  
"I think so. You really saved me there."  
  
"It was no problem. I could tell you were really getting frustrated."  
  
"Yea. I guess I was." There was a long moment as they watched the sun set   
the rest of the way.  
  
"Well, I'd better get to work." Moonglo said.  
  
"Yea." Rainbow looked down.  
  
"Um, well, I'll see you."  
  
"You know, I think I'll watch. I need to ponder some stuff." Moonglo   
looked surprised.  
  
"Ok."  
  
"I'll be right over there on that hill." She motioned to a small grassy   
knoll.  
  
"Alright. You don't stay up too late, now."  
  
"I'll try not to."  
  
"Good." and Moonglo disappeared. Rainbow walked slowly over to the hill   
and lay down on it's gentle slope. About two hours later, Moonglo   
re-appeared from her work. Rainbow was on her side, curled up, asleep on   
the hill. Moonglo smiled and went over and lay down near her and stared up   
at her hard work. Before long she, too, was asleep.  
  
  
Prism stretched and walked out of the Color Castle, where she'd spent the   
night rooming with Stormy. She smiled at the Rainbow Land dawn, something   
she hadn't' seen in over half a millennia. Deciding to get re-familiarized   
with the land, she set out on a walk. She passed Sprite houses and   
playgrounds. Schools, shops, and the Color Cave. Just as she was about to   
re-enter the Color Castle, she spotted two figures out of the corner of   
her eye. She looked to see Moonglo and Rainbow, where they'd fallen asleep   
the night before, watching the stars. She smiled in a way that made a   
nearby yellow Sprite wonder if there was something ironic about it.  
  
'Maybe I won't have any more problems with her after all...' She thought,   
and then shrugged and walked into the Color Castle. It was all alive with   
activity and feeling normal. But at the same time, there was a significant   
change in the atmosphere. Stormy was there, looking happy and hanging   
around with Buddy. Red and Pinkie were working together, Pinkie looking a   
little like the younger sibling she was (slightly bugging the older one).  
  
"Hi Prism!" Lala called. Prism looked over at the small girl, still   
slightly at awe that she was acting like a little french girl (something   
completely in contrast with her older self).  
  
"Hi Ululani! Er... what's your new name?"  
  
"Lala Orange." she giggled out.  
  
"Oh yea. Lala." she set that in her mind. "I'll try to remember that."  
  
"(hehe) Ok, Prism. Say, did you ever eat anything this morning?"  
  
"No, I just got back from a walk around Rainbow Land. What ever happened   
to the old Angel Palace? I know if we could find that, we could find some   
Sun Crystals." Lala shrugged and began leading Prism to the Color Castle's   
cafeteria.  
  
"We never went looking for it. Too many memories." She continued walking   
for a moment without saying anything, but her expression changed. "Or at   
least... we never went looking for it together. Any given individual might   
have on their own, or Buddy might have run into it on his runs."  
  
"Ok... so Buddy is Kado, right?"  
  
"Yep." An orange serving Sprite came up to them as they sat at a table.  
  
"Ohaiyo gozaimasu! Nani fudu anatatachi des ka?"  
  
"Pancakes with maple syrup and orange juice, please." Lala quickly   
replied.  
  
"Hai." the Sprite replied as she wrote it down. "Anata?" she turned to   
Prism.  
  
"Uhhh... I don't know what's served here, sorry." Lala giggled.  
  
"Oops, I keep forgetting all of these new changes. But you can pretty   
much order anything and they can make it."  
  
'She forgets that I've been to intergalactic restaurants.' "Ummm, well I   
think I'll have a bacon egg muffin, half a grapefruit, and green tea."  
  
"Arigato." she said and scampered off with their orders. Prism watched as   
she did, then turned to Lala and rolled her eyes.  
  
"I can't wait till I find Sunlight. I can hardly understand what the   
Sprites are saying!" Lala looked surprised.  
  
"Really? Did you forget Happy Talk?"  
  
"No, I never knew it."  
  
"You didn't?!" Lala asked, astounded.  
  
"She didn't what?" Violet asked as she walked past.  
  
"Prism never learned Happy Talk!" Lala replied.  
  
"Of course not." Violet reasoned. "The Sprites knew English back then,   
like the ones on Spectra. It's only just been somewhat recently that they   
started Happy Talk. Which, I might add, resembles greatly the Terran   
language Japanese, though a very simplified form in which many of the   
words are-"  
  
"Ok ok I get it Violet!" Lala cut her off. Prism giggled.  
  
"You didn't change either, Alette." Violet looked at them and motioned   
towards a seat next to Prism.  
  
"May I?"  
  
"Please." Violet sat down.  
  
"Actually, Prism, it would appear I've changed much more than may be   
easily apparent. You see, my name now is Shy Violet." Prism covered her   
mouth with her hand in an attempt not to laugh.  
  
"Sh- shy?" she snickered out. "Whatever happened to Sage, Rosemary, and   
Thyme? That would change anybody's mind that you were in any way shy." she   
paused. "Come to think of it, whatever happened to all of the animals but   
the Sprites?"  
  
"We sent them away." Canary said, sitting down next to Lala.  
  
"Away? Why? Where?" Prism blurted all at once.  
  
"Well, we thought you were never coming back. That you were dead." Lala   
offered. "We sent your Persephone, Apollo, Mithra, and Iris to the   
farthest reaches of Black-and-White Island because they didn't want to be   
here without you. The other animals voluntarily followed."  
  
"What Black-and-White Island?" Rainbow asked and sat down at the head of   
the table. There was a general groan.  
  
"THIS is going to take some explaining..." Violet mumbled.  
  
"You never saw the Black-and-White Island, Rainbow?" Patty asked as she   
sat next to Canary. Rainbow shook her head.  
  
"Not even flying over it on Starlight?" Canary asked.  
  
"No. I've never even heard of it." Patty took a deep breath.  
  
"Well, before the evil came-"  
  
"That's another thing! Sorry Patty. But why is everybody suddenly   
referring to it as 'the evil' and not 'the darkness'?"  
  
"Because, Rainbow, darkness is not what overtook the land." Patty   
continued. "The night is dark. It was evil that took over... it just   
happened that this evil used the power of darkness and so you, by using   
your bright rainbows, were able to pierce the darkness and defeat the   
evil. That doesn't make the darkness evil."  
  
"But... but we've been fighting the darkness for the past five hundred   
years!"  
  
"No, actually, we haven't." Indigo commented as she sat next to Violet.   
"My color is dark. Moonglo is in charge of the night, which is dark. But   
you haven't been fighting us."  
  
"Rainbow, I know it's hard for you to understand." Violet began. "But   
we've been fighting evil who uses darkness as it's power. But if the evil   
had been using, say, illusion power, would we be set against it then? Of   
course we would, because together, that's our duty!"  
  
"So... darkness isn't evil? How... how do you know?" Rainbow asked,   
stunned. Violet looked at her very seriously.  
  
"Because, Rainbow, Liona's power was darkness." 


	3. Off to Black-and-White Island

Chapter Three: Off to Black-and-White Island  
  
Violet looked at her very seriously. "Because, Rainbow, Liona's power   
was darkness." A very long silence ensued. Rainbow's eyes were glazed as   
she stared at the empty space on the table in front of her. Buddy sat down   
next to Patty. Everybody watched her. The only sound was the carefully   
muffled breathing of the Kids and Prism. Suddenly Rainbow looked up.  
  
"Well then, I'm sorry I haven't been able to meet her! She should be a   
very interesting person, I must say!" Prism smiled, followed by Violet,   
Indigo, and soon the whole table was smiling. Red walked up and sat on the   
other side of Lala.  
  
"Well, it's good to see you all in good moods this morning!" They all   
laughed. "Uh... ok." The serving Sprite came back and gave them their   
food, and the three remaining kids arrived. Stormy sat on the other side   
of Prism, Pinkie next to Indigo and Moonglo next to her.  
  
"So... what I've been wondering is if any of you have run into the old   
Angel Palace...?"  
  
"There was a different place you lived?" Rainbow asked, sounding   
interested.  
  
"Yes, it was called the Angel Palace." Stormy said.  
  
"It's the reason we ever thought of calling this the Color Castle." Buddy   
admitted. There was a pause while they ate for a minute.  
  
"Umm, I think I've seen it." Canary commented.  
  
"You have?" the rest all asked simultaneously.  
  
"I think so. It was on Black-and-White Island, though."  
  
"Well," Violet began, "It's worth looking. Since the terrain changed   
irreversibly when the evil was destroyed, we wouldn't really know where it   
was anyway." Some of the others nodded.  
  
"So, um, should we start after breakfast?" Patty asked.  
  
"Well, do we even know where this Black-and-White Island is?" Rainbow   
asked. Canary thought for a long moment.  
  
"I think it might have been in the big lake bordering the pits." There   
was a general tensing of muscles. "That's the Enemy Headquarters around   
here now, Prism." Prism nodded thoughtfully.  
  
"What kind of enemies are we up against nowadays?" The kids exchanged   
glances.  
  
"Only Murky and Lurky, actually." Prism rested her chin on her hand.  
  
"Weren't those two the lowest rank cronies of the Evil One?" She asked.   
Stormy blushed.  
  
"Yes, but they were plenty of a threat these last five hundred years,   
considering only two of us retained our powers." Prism looked surprised.  
  
"Two? I know Rainbow has powers but who else?"  
  
"Well... me." Stormy shrugged as she said it. Prism lightly smacked her   
forehead.  
  
"Oh duh! I get it! That's why you got the name 'Stormy', because you   
retained your electric powers!"  
  
"Well, most of them, at any rate." Prism smiled.  
  
"Ok, well, now that that's settled, how long is it to this lake?"  
  
"About a two-hour walk, but if we ride the horses, we'll get there in the   
good half of no time!"  
  
"Too bad we don't have Persephone, Iris, or Night, then we'd get there in   
as long as it takes to mount them." there was an awkward pause in which   
Rainbow shook her head. "Uhh... dragons teleport."  
  
"How many of us can we fit on each horse?" Lala asked.  
  
"Two of you can ride on Starlight with me." Rainbow offered. Immediately   
all hands but Pinkie's and Stormy's went up. Rainbow laughed. "Ok, um...   
Canary, you should come with me since we'll be leading and Moonglo, you   
come too." All hands went down. Stormy looked at the kids.  
  
"Buddy, Prism, you ride with me on Skydancer." they nodded.  
  
"I bet that two of you could fit on Sunriser with me." Glances were   
exchanged, knowing that there were five kids left and that only two of   
them could go. "Umm... eenie meenie miney mo..." the kids rolled their   
eyes. "Ok, looks like Indigo and Patty are coming with me. But what about   
the rest of you?"  
  
"Might Starlight take us in a cart?" Lala asked.  
  
"I'll go ask." Rainbow said, and ran off. A few minutes later, an   
indignant snort was heard.  
  
"I will NOT drag a cart like a common plowhorse!" Starlight's voice came.  
  
"Aww come on, it's for a good reason!"  
  
"Absolutely not!"  
  
"On-X moved the boat for us on Spectra!"  
  
"That pile of bolts would! And besides, it was an emergency! The only   
thing THIS is going to do is make you all bigger and harder to carry!"  
  
"That's it!" Patty exclaimed. "We can just call Krys and ask him for   
help!"  
  
"Krys is still around?" Prism asked.  
  
"Yes, he's been living on Spectra with Orin for a long time."  
  
"Will four people fit on On-X?"  
  
"Well, we can try. Easier than convincing Mr. Ego out there to pull a   
cart." Rainbow said as she walked back in. Not aware she had been there,   
the Kids whipped around in surprise, then laughed.  
  
"I'll go contact him." Violet interjected, standing up. "Should I tell   
him you're here, Prism?"  
  
"May as well. Don't want to give him a heart attack."  
  
"Ok." She wrung her hands and scampered off. About ten seconds later, she   
looked back in. "Come on I.Q.!" The violet Sprite ran over to her and out   
the door, talking.  
  
"Hai. Daijob des ka, Vaiorettu?"  
  
"I wonder what made him ask that?" Moonglo asked.  
  
"What did he say?" Prism asked.  
  
"He asked if Violet was ok."  
  
"Oh." She looked at the door Violet had exited through. 'I wonder...' she   
made a face. 'Nah, not Alette.' A few more minutes past until Violet came   
back in.  
  
"Krys reports he's on his way and should be here in 2.159743-" she was   
cut off by everyone except Prism yelling,  
  
"Violet!!!"  
  
"Oops, sorry." there was a pause. "That gives us time to do other stuff,   
I guess. I'm going to my library, if any of you need me." and with that   
she left.  
  
"You know, ever since you showed up, Prism, Violet's been getting less   
and less 'Shy Violet' and more and more 'Alette'." Indigo commented.  
  
"I think you're right." Prism said. "I'm gonna go see if there's anything   
concerning the dynamics of Color Crystal in the library, k? Seeya." And   
she scampered out after Violet. She reached the library after a few   
minutes of running through Sprite villages. It was a large purple building.  
  
"We really got into this color thing, didn't we?" a voice behind Prism   
asked. She jumped and turned, to see Violet.  
  
"Oh, hi, Alette."  
  
"I heard you follow me."  
  
"Oh." Prism shuffled her shoes in the dust. "So, what's up?" Violet   
looked off in a different direction. "Come on, if you remember me, you   
know I'll just ask you repeatedly until you feel like telling." Violet   
didn't move. "It's not a good idea to keep things all to yourself. You'll   
get all stressed out."  
  
"It's just... I... I can't say it." Prism led her five-year-old-bodied   
friend into the deserted library and to a table. She still couldn't say   
anything.  
  
"Do you want me to guess?" Prism finally asked.  
  
"That would make it SO much easier."  
  
"Well, I'd say you like someone." Violet looked up at her, startled.  
  
"Am, am I that obvious?"  
  
"No. I just spent a long time on Earth where people act funny, which   
makes them so much harder to read. I just picked up on the talent after a   
while.  
  
"Oh."   
  
"So... now there's just the matter of WHO you like. There's only three   
boys, which helps." 'I wonder if she's picked up I already know it's   
Krys?' "Let's see... wait, it IS one of the boys, right?" Violet nodded.  
  
"Why?" she asked. It hadn't occurred to her that any of her female   
friends might not like guys, but girls.  
  
"People on Earth can be that way, too, so I wasn't about to put it beyond   
you all. There are, after all, only three boys while there are ten girls,   
including me."  
  
"Oh." is all Violet could think to say.  
  
"Don't worry." Prism said quickly. "If there are ones like that among   
you, you'll get used to it real quick considering you all don't seem   
prejudiced." there was a silence. "Ok, well, I've thought about this now.   
Do you, perchance, like Krys?" Violet suddenly flushed. Prism nodded. "I   
thought so."  
  
"He... he doesn't know. Please don't tell him!"  
  
"Don't worry, sweetheart, I won't tell! Just take a deep breath... yes,   
there you go. It's alright."  
  
"Sorry, I know that's not like me..."  
  
"Doll, you know I've only seen the you that's like that. I've never   
really met this 'Shy Violet' girl. Only Alette. And Alette wasn't shy,   
wasn't hardly ever scared, and definitely wasn't sorry if she got a little   
upset." Violet took that in.  
  
"W-would Alette be afraid to tell Krys she likes him?"  
  
"Well..." Prism looked up at the purple ceiling as she thought. "I can't   
say I rightly know. Alette never got a crush."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Like that word?" Violet looked up, startled, then laughed.  
  
"I... I guess so." She smiled up at Prism, who tousled the girl's hair.  
  
"Ok now?"  
  
"Yea."  
  
"That's good. I was wondering of you knew about the dynamics of Color   
Crystal..."  
  
  
"It's Krys!" Patty yelled as she spotted first sight of him and On-X   
above Rainbow Land. The rest of the Kids and Prism came out of the Color   
Castle to greet him in the circle of Rainbowland Central. He looked to the   
back of the crowd and saw Prism; an easy sight to find in a crowd around   
her knees at the tallest.  
  
"Hey everybody! Hi Prism!"  
  
"Hi!" Everybody chorused.  
  
"Hey!" Prism called back. He hopped off of On-X and looked around.  
  
"So..." he waited, wondering if they were waiting for something. "Are we   
going or what? I dunno about you, but I personally am sick of being a   
kid." The others looked at each other. They were going to go back to their   
old selves... but only if they could find the Angel Palace on   
Black-and-White Island.  
  
"He's right." Indigo said, surprising everyone. "Let's go!" She donned a   
backpack of food (they weren't sure just how much something that close to   
the pits might be affected) and looked at Pinkie expectantly. Pinkie   
snapped to attention.  
  
"Oh! Right! I'll go get Sunriser." Stormy joined her and ran off for   
Skydancer. Starlight was already there. Before long, they were all there   
and mounted on their horses.  
  
"Ok, we're going to run on the ground to get there since Sunriser can't   
fly." Rainbow directed. The pink horse neighed. "And Canary, you ride on   
Starlight in front of me, since only you know where this place is.  
  
"Oh my, I couldn't possibly..." she stumbled over her words. "It's far   
too great an honor..."  
  
"Oh, get on. " said Starlight. "You're going to have powers just like   
Rainbow soon, you can guide me." Canary nodded and hopped onto Starlight,   
in the space Rainbow had made by scooting back. Moonglo mounted behind   
Rainbow, and everybody else got on their horse of choice.  
  
"Everybody ready?" Canary asked tentatively. Neighs were made in   
response, except from Starlight who said,  
  
"Of course I'M ready, I'M the most magnificent horse in the universe!" He   
received a small kick in the side from Rainbow for that comment.  
  
"Matte! Matte!!!" Nite Sprite yelled as he ran out of the Color Castle.   
Moonglo reached down, but he ran right past her to Prism, who was just as   
surprised as anyone else. He reached up, something tight in his fist. She   
leaned down and cupped her hands beneath it and he dropped something into   
them. It glinted in the midmorning sunlight as it fell.  
  
"What's this for?" she asked.  
  
"Sunraitu-ko, onegai."  
  
"No problem." she replied, recognizing her Sprite's name. She patted Nite   
Sprite on the head. "I'll be sure to bring her back."  
  
"Arigato!" He squealed and jumped up, hugging her around the neck. He   
released her and she smiled.  
  
"You're welcome. Seeya Nite Sprite!"  
  
"Hold on tight, it's gonna be a bumpy ride!" Canary said, gaining   
confidence as she grabbed fistfuls of the orange part of Starlight's mane.   
Moonglo gently set her hands on on Rainbow's waist, and they were off.   
Starlight leading with On-X and Skydancer close behind, and Sunriser last   
but still close. After they had been riding for a while, Prism left   
herself riding with one hand and looked at what Night Sprite hand handed   
her. It was a silver, sprite-sized locket on a chain. Being curious, she   
flipped it open to reveal one of Moonglo's golden star sprinkles. She   
closed it and her hand around it and looked up at Moonglo.  
  
'How totally ironic that our head Sprites would fall in love.' She shook   
her head and looked ahead. 'Kind of like Romeo and Juliet.' Before long,   
they reached the edge of a big lake. Looking across, they could see the   
Black-and-White Island, and in the center of it, looming menacingly, the   
monumentous Angel Palace. They stared at it for a long moment. Pinkie,   
Patty and Indigo hopped down off of Sunriser, who couldn't take them any   
further. They'd just follow on the rainbow.  
  
"So... should we go across?" Lala asked.  
  
"I guess so..." Rainbow said. "But I can't even tell if there's anything   
living there." Canary looked at the island.  
  
"Beleive me, there's living things there you'd never imagine." 


	4. Icegirl

Chapter Four: Ice-Girl  
  
Canary looked at the island. "Believe me, there's living things there   
you'd never imagine." She took a deep breath and Rainbow sent out the   
power from which her name resulted. Starlight galloped forward, three Kids   
running along behind. Skydancer, with thunderclaps, jumped into the air   
and ran along beside the Kids, to ensure their safety. On-X's jet feet   
blasted on and he hovered over next to Starlight.  
  
They all landed on Black-and-White Island together. It didn't look too   
strange, but all the land they could see was covered in five-foot-wide   
stripes of black and white except the Angel Palace, which was gold and   
silver with rainbow spires and flags bearing stars, hearts, and moons.  
  
"Definitely a little eerie..." Violet admitted.  
  
"Scared?" Krys asked challengingly. Violet whipped her head to look at   
him and made a face.  
  
"No, of course not." She replied, crossing her arms.  
  
"Then what are you waiting for?" he pried. Violet indignantly whipped her   
arms to her sides, hands balled in fists.  
  
"I - I'm not!" and she marched forward toward a white pond. Something   
small and (you guessed it) white poked it's head out of the milky water.   
She squatted to take a close look at it. It opened yellow-green eyes to   
her.  
  
"What is it, Violet?" Red asked after a long moment.  
  
"I'm not perfectly sure..." she began. "But I think it's a White   
Quadrapus. I wasn't aware they lived on this planet, but that's what it   
seems to be..."  
  
"Uh... Violet?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"What's a Quadrapus?" Violet blushed.  
  
"Oops! Well, this is." She picked the creature out of the water. It   
resembled an octopus, but much smaller and with only four tentacles. "And   
it's a WHITE Quadrapus, Red. These creatures are identified not only by a   
name, but a color too." The pale creature squirmed out of her hands and   
back into the water. "They're usually easy to train, but sometimes are set   
on being difficult. We, however, are going to leave this one here." Pinkie   
frowned.  
  
"Ok, well, the wildlife is great but let's get to the castle. We have a   
better chance of finding the missing Sprites and creatures on the way than   
just standing here." Prism interjected before things could get   
uncomfortable.  
  
"Good idea." Moonglo said. Prism looked over at her for a moment.  
  
'Is that in thanks for saying her idea was good last night?'  
  
"Nite Sprite really wanted to find that Sunlight Sprite he mentioned."  
  
"Let's go!" Patty exclaimed in a loud voice, making a slight mockery of   
'Fluffy's Adventure' (if you've never played it you ought to it's too   
funny). They started forward, walking (riding in Rainbow and Stormy's   
case) along a white stripe. They passed through a cover of large, white   
trees and stopped, gaping.  
  
"A Sprite village?" Lala asked, in awe. Milling about a black ice cream   
stand were two white sprites, being served a white slushie by a black   
sprite. A white, blob-like creature with a red ponytail raced past the   
Color Kids and Prism, then skidded and circled around behind them. Two   
young gold sprites pursued it. It jumped up into Rainbow's hands. She   
stared at it in surprise for a moment.  
  
"How interesting!" Violet said, examining it. "It appears to be a White   
Bilguss. I've never seen one of these here on Silvera either."  
  
"Miss?" a voice asked. All the kids whipped around to look a the Sprites.   
"Miss, could we have our White Bilguss back?"  
  
"You... speak English?" Rainbow asked after a silently astonished moment.   
They looked at each other. One shrugged.  
  
"Yea." the other replied. "We do. So can we have her back please?"  
  
"Oh! Of course." She handed the skittish creature to the little gold   
Sprite.  
  
"Hello there." Prism greeted them, completely unfazed. "You wouldn't   
happen to know where I could find a gold Sprite named Sunlight, would you?"  
  
"Sunlight?" One of them asked, turned to the other.  
  
"Iunno, maybe we could take them to Karena."  
  
"But only Sprites and the Old Chosens are allowed to see Karena."  
  
"Old Chosens?" Prism asked.  
  
"Yes. The ones who came from the old land who were partners of the   
legendary Angel Warriors." Prism tapped her chin, and Pinkie beat her to   
speaking.  
  
"And what would you say if these Angel Warriors showed up looking for   
their old friends?" The little Sprites laughed.  
  
"They wouldn't come to US for help."  
  
"Yea, but you people seem smart so we'll take you to see Karena anyway."   
The little gold Sprites started leading them into the village. "Hey Mika,   
does that tall girl look familiar to you?"  
  
"I dunno, Kami. She does look a little like the ice-girl."  
  
"Ice-girl?" Prism asked.  
  
"Oops. Yea, the ice-girl. What about her?" Mika asked.  
  
"I was just wondering who she was." The little Sprites gaped at each   
other as they continued walking.  
  
"You don't know who the ice-girl is?" Kami asked. "EVERYBODY knows who   
the ice-girl is!" Prism shook her head.  
  
"Well..." Mika looked up. "She's as big as you and has the same fire hair   
and forest eyes." Prism nodded. "She's in that big castle over there." she   
pointed to the Angel Palace.  
  
"But why do you call her the ice-girl?" Prism asked shakily.  
  
"Because," Kami began, "She's in a big ice-cube." He paused. "Actually,   
the grownups call it... uh... Sun Crystal or something and say that only   
the Light Angel can free her. But I dunno what that means." Prism had   
become as white as half the land. Red, too, looked pale. But before   
anybody could ask, they reached a black tent.  
  
"You can try to go in, but you'll need luck." Mika said. "Bye!" And they   
ran off, White Bilguss in hand.  
  
"That was strange." Indigo commented. Prism was already headed for the   
tent. Suddenly, silver glaivetips crossed in front of her. Two masked,   
black Sprites guarded the tent.  
  
"You may not pass unless you prove yourself worthy." One said.  
  
"Fine." Prism replied, looking more determined than ever. "What do I have   
to do?" The Sprite pointed to a silver tepee across from the tent.  
  
"You go there. The Starred Sprite will tell you if you are worthy." Prism   
raised an eyebrow, but went to the entrance of the tepee.  
  
'A silver, star-antennaed Sprite... I wonder...' Canary came up behind   
her and hung onto one of her legs as she stood.  
  
"Come in." A deep, but distinctly feminine voice said. Prism, instead of   
the revered silence the other Kids were giving, laughed.  
  
"Moonlight! It IS you in here giving the psychic readings!" A silver   
Spite emerged from the darkness in the tent.  
  
"Prismatic Light, by the Moon Crystals, where have you BEEN the past 500   
years? Your sister has needed thawing out!" She laughed at her own joke.   
The kids watched this bizarre reunion of Light Angel and Silver Sprite   
with some degree of confusion. "--why of COURSE you can go see Karena,   
darling! And Rosabel goes with you. It should do her some good to meet up   
with her again!"  
  
"Thanks, Moonlight. You wait here and we'll go see Karena, then go thaw   
Liona out."  
  
"No problem." She said, and Prism grabbed Stormy's wrist and trekked into   
the tent.  
  
Inside, it was pitch black. There was no sign of light from any direction.  
  
"What IS this place?" Stormy asked.  
  
"I... guess this is Karena's house." Prism replied. "Kinda dark. Wish I   
had some Sun Crystal, I haven't used my powers for so long I don't know if   
I even can..." She groped around her neckline and grabbed the pendant on   
her necklace. Stormy, of course, couldn't tell on account of the extreme   
darkness.  
  
"What are you doing, Prism?" she asked.  
  
"Just seeing something... gimme a sec." After about a minute or so, a   
faint but definitely real light began to shine from the red jewel on the   
pendant. They could tell, after a minute's inspection, that they were   
inside a sectioned off area of the large tent, and that there was a   
cloth-covered doorway straight ahead of them.  
  
"This place is really strange... I like it."  
  
"Yea, I know." Prism peered into the blackness of the next room. "Should   
we go?"  
  
"Yea, we'll never meet this Karena Sprite if we don't." Stormy looked off   
at a wall. "Karena... why does that name seem familiar?" Prism tugged her   
wrist and they entered. As soon as they entered, they stopped and gaped.   
The light from Prism's necklace reflected in a watery way off the walls of   
the tent, shining silver and metallic blue. One spot, however, remained   
purely black. Of course, that spot was Sprite-shaped.  
  
"Uhh... Karena?" Prism tentatively asked.   
  
"Who's that?" another female voice, slightly British in accent, spoke.  
  
"It's Prismatic Light and Rosabel." Stormy said. The black area moved   
forward, into the definite light.  
  
"Rosabel?" Karena was a black Sprite, and had lightning-bolt antennae.   
Stormy squinted at the Sprite for a long moment, then her eyes widened.  
  
"It... it's YOU!" One of Stormy's hands trembled in a loose fist in front   
of her chest. "I can't believe it..." Her other hand touched the Sprite's   
dark fur. As soon as contact was made, electric sparks flew.  
  
"It really is you, Rosabel." Karena said, smiling. "You've gotten   
smaller."  
  
"I know... an effect of the evil on almost all of us."  
  
"Really? Since Liona is frozen in the teenager stage, I figured you all   
had stayed that age. It never occurred to me that you could have   
degenerated." Stormy-Rosabel nodded.  
  
"Only Liona and Prism stayed that way. All the rest of us are little, and   
only I retained powers. Wisp has helped immensely, though."  
  
"Who's Wisp?"  
  
"She's the one who drove the evil away. She has rainbow powers even   
though she's small like us. Most of us call her Rainbow Brite."  
  
"Ah... the Rainbow Angel. I did wonder if we'd ever see the dawn of her."  
  
"Mm-hm." they shared a silent moment. "Well, let's go! Prism is going to   
thaw Liona and turn us back to normal." Karena nodded and exited the tent   
with them.   
  
The only sound outside was the Color Kids talking. Pinkie stopped and   
looked around. All the Sprites in sight had stopped what they were doing,   
as if frozen in place.  
  
"Uhh... what's going on?" she asked. Red looked around also, and spotted   
the girls coming from the tent.  
  
"I think it's that black Sprite there. Look at her antenna."  
  
"Ohh... is she Stormy's Sprite? That would make DeeLite be quiet."  
  
"Romeo, too." Karena looked at the Color Kids, sizing them up.  
  
"Got your work cut out for you, I see, Prism." Prism blushed.  
  
"Eh... not really. Just gotta make em grow up." Moonlight walked around   
to the front of the group.  
  
"Karena, you old nut, how the heck are ya?" Karena slapped Moonlight on   
the back.  
  
"Holdin' up pretty well. I got my Angel back so let's go thaw yours.   
She'd better still be awake in there after a few hundred years of being   
encased in Sun Crystal." They started toward the Palace, Color Kids and   
Prism following. The observing Sprites continued to stare in shock even   
after they left.  
  
  
"Gee... it never looked this big back then." Canary said as she looked -   
straight up - at the Angel Palace. Prism patted her on the head as she   
walked up next to her.  
  
"Dear, you were taller then."  
  
"Oh yea."  
  
Two Sprites stood at both ends of the drawbridge connecting the Angel   
Palace to the mainland of the island. They all held glaives. The Sprites   
immediately in front of her - a white and a gold - crossed their glaives,   
barring access to the drawbridge. Prism looked unfazed and continued   
inspecting the Palace.  
  
"Halt!" The gold one finally yelled. Prism continued looking up, but   
spoke.  
  
"Hi Niji. Hi Kagi." the glaive of the white one wavered.  
  
"How... how do you know us?" she asked.  
  
"Oh, I met you a LONG time ago, Niji. But you were little tykes then."  
  
"Just who are you?" Kagi (the gold one) asked. Prism finally looked at   
them and laughed.  
  
"Don't tell me you really don't remember me! I babysat you... you know,   
with Sunlight. She, I'm assuming, lives in the Palace and that's why   
you're guards here. You remember her." Niji looked at Kagi.  
  
"Think she's serious?"  
  
"Looks like it." Kagi replied. "Dunno what to think though. Sunlight's   
Angel died hundreds of years ago, when we were..."  
  
"Little." Niji finished for him. "We can follow them. If it turns out   
they're up to no good, we can get rid of them quick." They turned back to   
the group. "You may enter, but we must follow you."  
  
"Fair enough." Indigo said and shrugged. The glaives uncrossed and the   
group walked forward. Before long, they reached the actual Palace.   
Something small and gold streaked by, something bronze in pursuit. Canary   
and Indigo watched interestedly.  
  
"What was that?" Rainbow asked in alarm.  
  
"Don't mind the fire-lizards." Prism said. "They won't hurt you unless   
they land on you, and then it's not intentional, they just have sharp   
claws." She looked at the direction they flew in before she entered.   
"Besides, Butterfly and Sparkle wouldn't hurt a soul." Offhandedly she   
commented, "I wonder if they just reached mating age?" Niji and Kagi   
exchanged glances.  
  
"She knows the fire-lizards?" Kagi muttered. Niji shrugged as well as a   
Sprite can. The inside of the Palace was magnificent, the front hall they   
were in was built of gold and silver bricks and reached high above even   
Prism's head. Soon they emerged into a large outer courtyard with many   
windows and balconies visible. Most of the kids were looking around   
adoringly, Prism, Moonlight and Karena looked determined but very happy.   
Only Rainbow, Niji and Kagi looked nervous. A tense moment passed, then   
finally Moonglo stepped forward, toward a side corridor of ruby and gold.  
  
"It's even more beautiful!" She said and raised her hands into the air,   
twirling. The guard Sprites, true to their jobs, raised glaivetips toward   
her. A look of pure terror flooded onto her face. A sound not unlike   
thunder filled everyone's ears. It was warning and yet comforting to the   
kids. Moonglo looked overjoyed. "NIGHT!!" She exclaimed in ecstasy. Niji   
and Kagi dropped their glaives.  
  
"What was that?" Niji asked shakily.  
  
"Maybe it's true... there are dragons in here." Kagi said. He put a hand   
on Niji's shoulder and began to lead her away. "You need to get home." He   
turned back to the group. "You all are fine here."  
  
"Darn right they are!" A very soprano voice yelled from high up. Everyone   
looked in it's direction. A golden glint revealed the speaker's identity.  
  
"Sunlight..." Prism said emotionally. The golden Sprite came zooming down   
on no less a ride than one of her rank deserved - riding a golden   
fire-lizard. She jumped off at Prism's eye level and hung around the   
girl's neck.  
  
"Prism!" She exclaimed. "Thank goddess you're finally here! It's been   
getting lonely." She made a sweet-pathetic face and Prism laughed.  
  
"Oh Sunlight I'm glad you're the same! I bet you were planning that   
entrance for years." The golden Sprite laughed.  
  
"Still the same Prism, too." There was a slight pause. "Now what are we   
standing around for? Let's go free Liona for pete's sake!" Moonlight   
looked at Niji and Kagi, who were sneaking away.  
  
"And where do you think you're going?" she asked. "You two owe us all an   
apology. EXPECIALLY for not recognizing me or Karena." They looked   
sheepish.  
  
"We ARE sorry. We didn't mean to block your way..." Kagi said.  
  
"Well, actually we did. But that's our job." Niji corrected. "You'd be   
suspicious too, if a whole gang of strange people came up and requested   
access to the Angel Palace." Some of them nodded.  
  
"I guess you're right." Krys said. "You're forgiven."  
  
"Thank you so much." they chorused, and ran off. They all looked around   
for a long moment.  
  
"So... now what?" Patty asked.  
  
"Well..." Sunlight began in her impossibly soprano voice, "I suppose we   
go and thaw Liona." Moonlight smiled.  
  
"Yes, let's go see her." Sunlight nodded. "Well, lead the way, sis."   
Sunlight looked up at the golden fire-lizard who'd settled comfortably on   
Prism's shoulder.  
  
"C'mon, Firefly!" Firefly looked at Prism and nuzzled her neck. "Oh, you   
can reminisce with Prism later! We have to show them to Liona!" Firefly   
nodded and flew down. Sunlight hopped on her back, and motioned to   
Moonlight.  
  
"She can't hold both of us." Moonlight replied. Sunlight looked   
thoughtful, then put her fingers in her mouth and whistled. Before many   
seconds had passed, two more fire-lizards had flown down. "Oh!" Moonlight   
pointed to a brown one. "Pan! I haven't seen you in a long time!" Red   
tapped his foot.  
  
"Could we please go?" He asked more nicely than he felt like. "Prism?"  
  
"Yes. We really ought to. The glamouries are impressive, guys, but now   
that we know about where this place is, we can come back at any point."   
The sprites nodded.  
  
"C'mon." Sunlight said. They were led down a giant hall to their front.   
It was built of what looked like immense bricks of precious and   
semi-precious jewlels in stripes like a rainbow. After not too long, they   
reached a room built in the same manner. In the center was something that   
resembled the Color Console, on the left side a four-paneled computer of   
the same makeup, and in the back center, on a raised platform, were three   
more. The center one was guarded by a tall figure that looked exactly like   
Prism wearing battle clothes and weilding two large axes, and was encased   
in a shining gold crystalline substance. Prism stared incredulously.  
  
"Liona?" she whispered. The red-haired, green eyed girl inside remained   
motionless. The color kids and sprites looked on in hushed awe.  
  
"Prism?" Sunlight asked tenatively. "You know..."  
  
"Yes, I know." She reached up and pulled off her bow necklace, touching   
it to the crystal surrounding Liona. Two things happened at once: the   
necklace began to absorb the crystal, and it started morphing into   
something else. Prism was left gripping a large diamond heart attached to   
a thick peridot chain. Liona fell to the ground, Prism accompanying her. 


	5. Liona

AN: Ok, I don't like author's notes usually but to clear up the whereabouts of Twink: he's at the Color Castle. See, they wanted to take all the color kids along and once that was done all the horses were totally jam-packed. I promise that he and Rainbow will be in it more soon! ^_^ And speaking of the horses... I spent like four months without writing this in the middle of chapter four, and in that time I completely forgot that Stormy and Rainbow were supposed to be riding horses. ^_^() You're just gonna have to forgive me on that one.  
  
Erm, um, watch for raciness. These people start getting teenage mentalities. And keep in mind Prism's conversation with Violet earlier. *coughMoongloandRainbowcough*  
  
Oh yea, and I made a reference to "fire-lizards" in an earlier chapter. Those are actually Anne McCaffrey material, which I didn't realize was not to be fanfictioned about. I'm not going to change that reference (far too lazy) but from now on they're called chibigons. (chibi - small, gons - like dragons)  
  
~Lioness  
  
Chapter Five: Liona  
  
Canary was the one sitting watch when the pair of forest-green eyes finally opened. Despite all attempts, they hadn't managed to pry the axes out of her hands, so Liona was laying in the bed with them. As soon as she woke, she jumped up with an animalistic roar, brandishing the axes.  
  
"SHADOW KING!!!!!!" Outside the Angel Palace, the whole of Black-and-White Island looked toward the source of sound. Liona stormed toward the door, and Canary throwing herself on the enraged girl's back, shouting protests, didn't hinder her one bit.  
  
"Somebody help me!" Color Kids appeared all over, dragging at the tall girl. Prism arrived at a run.  
  
"WHERE'S THE SHADOW KING!?!!! I'M GONNA THRASH HIM!!!!!"  
  
"Liona..." Prism began in a low, warning voice.  
  
"WHERE IS HE, PRISM?!?!?!"  
  
"Liona! He's gone." The double axes fell to the ground.  
  
"What did you say?"  
  
"The Shadow King was defeated over five hundred years ago. You've been encased in Sun Crystal since we lost to him eight hundred some years previous."  
  
"Who... who defeated him, Prism? Who had that power when we didn't?" Prism looked her identical sister over.  
  
"The one on your left leg. Her name's Rainbow Brite." Liona looked down at the small girl.  
  
"You?" Rainbow nodded, just a bit frightened of this rash warrior. "What's..."  
  
"Rainbows. I use rainbows." The tall girl rolled her eyes.  
  
"You know, I could have guessed that if I wanted to."  
  
"I bet you could've, Liona. Come on, you need to see Blackie and I'll fill you in on what's happened since you... fell asleep." Liona walked along with Prism, and they disappeared around the corner. Rainbow stared after them, looking worried. Slowly, the color kids filtered away again, but Moonglo went up to her leader and placed a hand on the other girl's shoulder.  
  
"You okay, Rainbow?" Rainbow nodded.  
  
"Yea... sorry... I hadn't expected that she might not know any time had passed. That..." she sighed heavily. "It's just... those two, this place, dragons and Angel Warriors... it's all so bizarre." Her mood suddenly changed. "I just met my predecessors, who are alive and kicking... and they want to change everything I've ever known! They want to change my HOME!" Rainbow had sat on the edge of a large fountain, and Moonglo walked over and sat next to her.  
  
"Rainbow... I realize this is all going to be hard for you. We all know it... the color kids, that is. Prism knows it too. She's just changing it back..." she looked up, searching for a word. "What I mean is... what would you feel like if you woke up one sunny day and you were a normal earth child in some gray little city, no powers, no nothing. And let's just say you can remember the blissful life you had enjoyed not a week before.  
  
"Then you live on earth for thirteen hundred years, with no hope at all, and suddenly you're back here and everything's changed but YOU... you have a chance to make everything right." Moonglo looked sympathetically at her friend. "All us Color Kids... we had powers before the Shadow King came. Powers like you have. For five hundred years, all we've been good for is mining color crystal and minor touch-ups." There was a pause in her monologue. "It'll make life more... exciting, too." Rainbow perked at that.  
  
"You think?" She asked through her eyelashes. Moonglo swallowed hard.  
  
"Absolutely!"  
  
Violet was in her old lab, standing on a chair, looking through a notebook which she had written references to interplanetary connections in. A small brown creature (maybe a foot tall) resembling a dragon was perched on her shoulder, peering at the book. It chirped a question, and across the room Krys looked up from his book.  
  
"That thing keeps doing that. What's it saying?"  
  
"It's asking questions about what I'm reading." She answered without turning.  
  
"Okaay... so what are you reading?"  
  
She dropped to sit in her chair. "One of my old notebooks. Did we used to have connections with other planets?" Krys shrugged.  
  
"'Course we did. Spectra still does." Violet flipped through the worn pages of her book.  
  
"So... what are the Konotoze like?" Krys stared. "One of them - referred to here as 'Tala' - apparently helped us in the early stages of the Shadow War."  
  
"Eh... Violet, do you actually expect me to remember? I don't know every single planet by reference!" He paused, taking in her disappointed expression. "But I do know Konoto is in the same star system as Natall, whose people breed mages of our planet's status easily." Violet's expression broke into a huge grin and she jumped back up, disturbing the brown chibigon and causing it to squak in indignity. Krys watched her out of pure curiosity as she pulled several other leather-covered notebooks to her and ruffled through them, muttering to herself.  
  
"The same star system as Natall... the girl named Melina on Natall... it was one of the systems inhabited by the Magi race..."  
  
"Okay, what are you looking for?"  
  
"Yike!" Violet exclaimed, and looked over at Krys, who had come up beside her while she was absorbed in her notes. "I'm looking for more information on the Magi race, Konoto, Natall, the Tonjee star system in general, or the girl Tala." Krys ran a hand through his curly red hair.  
  
"Well, if you tell me where your other notebooks are..." he looked around as if he was unsure as to why he was offering, "I'll help you look." An absolute myriad of emotions passed across Violet's face, the most prevalent being surprise.  
  
"They're right over there..." she pointed to a shelf on the opposite side of the room. "Thanks, Krys." He looked back at her.  
  
"Sure, Violet. Anytime."  
  
Buddy was moodily picking at a bowl of blue jello when Patty walked over to the table he was at and sat down next to him.  
  
"Hey there, you okay?" she asked, sounding concerned. He looked over at her, detachedly pulling off his sweatband.  
  
"Yea, just worried about Rainbow." She looked at him, sympathy in her green eyes.  
  
"I know. It's going to be hardest for Rainbow, but-" a partially black, partially white sprite ran up to them and interrupted.  
  
"The Ice-girl and the Fire-girl are summoning you." she said with urgency. "She says to go to the central courtyard." Buddy and Patty both stood up quickly.  
  
"Thank you." Patty said to the sprite, who ran off, presumably to find the other Color Kids. They exchanged glances with each other, and began running toward the central courtyard. When they arrived there, they found a majority of the Color Kids clustered around Prism and Liona, who were in their old work clothes.   
  
Prism wore primarily white - white tank top and jeans, and gloves like Krys's, but her white knee boots had red soles and laces, and her hooded cape was edged in red, which faded into white as it went inwards. Around her waist hung a peridot chain, each link covered in a thin layer of diamond, with a diamond heart in the center front, presumably as the clasp.  
  
The enigmatic Liona wore an outfit almost identical to her twin's, but in different colors. Instead of white on her outfit there was black, and where there was red on Prism's, Liona had ice-blue. Her belt was also different, having a chain of diamond with the large heart-clasp being made of peridot with a thin coating of diamond.  
  
Stormy was the last to arrive, and when she did, Prism motioned for all to be silent.  
  
"Okay guys," she began, "Liona and I have been absolutely wracking our brains, trying to think os a way to grow you all up again, and we think" she put emphasis on 'think' "we've got it."  
  
"First though, I've got something to say, so listen good cuz I'm only saying this once." Liona took up the speech, her voice an alto mirror of Prism's soprano. "I'm sorry that I went crazy this afternoon when I woke up, yelling about the Shadow King. The last thing I remembered was battling him with Prism here and then I woke up in a room with Levana." she paused. "'Course I didn't know it was Levana since all that's happened to you guys and to me she just looked like some weird little blonde kid and... anyway, I'm sorry." She blushed and flicked her hood up, feeling she had talked for too long.  
  
"Alright." Prism started up again. "We were wondering if we could have a volunteer to try this on first?" All the Kids exchanged glances, and tentatively, to everyone's surprise, Lala stepped forward.  
  
"I'll volunteer." She said in a voice she was forcing not to quaver.  
  
"You sure?" Prism asked. "If it doesn't work, we don't know what will happen." Lala se her expression and nodded confidently. rainbow stood to the back of the group, just watching. "Alright." Prism reached down and Sunlight handed her a piece of crystal such an intense yellow-gold color the others all had a difficult time looking at it. Rainbow squinted at it, puzzled. "This is pure, freshly mined sun crystal. Liona?" She looked at her twin, who took a piece of painfully silver-white crystal from Moonlight. "And that's fresh moon crystal." she took a deep breath and grasped the hand of her sister. They stepped back from the group, and motioned for Lala to come toward them. She walked the few steps in a nervous march. Prism's hood flew up in an unfelt wind, shadowing her face as Liona's was. Simultaneously they held the crystals to their belts and hey came to life, glowing with the light of the moon and sun. They held the crystals together, and the light crept toward Lala.  
  
The light reached her front first, so Rainbow, who could only see her back, was unable to see and changes taking place. The light engulfed her, and grew upwards. Rainbow could vaguely see the outline of a person inside the light, growing and shrinking all at once it seemed. Then, quite suddenly, the light disappeared and the girl within was revealed. Rainbow had to admit she looked very much like Lala. Just a bit shorter than Prism and Liona, short brown hair cut to earlobe length, brown eyes, slightly tan skin. She wore a red and gold tunic over a gold shirt and red hose, with orange boots and a long orange cape. She looked down at herself, and Rainbow noted somewhere in the back of her mind that the girl didn't have too bad a figure at all. She turned to face the Kids and Rainbow spotted around her waist a belt. The chain was thick like Prism and Liona's but made of opal, lightly encased in diamond so it would be hard to break. And in the front middle was a star made of orange topaz.  
  
"Lala?" Rainbow whispered, stunned. Lala looked at Rainbow and smiled, an act that lit up her whole face, and lightly ran over to the leader of the Color Kids.  
  
"It's me, Rainbow! It worked!" She dropped to her knees and sad on them to be face-to-face with the now seemingly tiny girl. And suddenly she threw her arms about the shoulders of the little girl and hugged her. And then Rainbow was happy, for she knew without a doubt that she was not losing her team - she was simply learning of a new side of it.  
  
Rainbow Brite rode around on the shoulders of the red Color Kid- she chided herself and her faulty memory- the red Angel Warrior, waiting for her turn to be grown. After Lala, Prism and Liona had grown Red, Canary, Patty, and Buddy, then decided they needed to take a short break. Rainbow didn't really blame them. Making people of her race age suddenly would be hard work for anyone, much less someone who had been asleep for eight hundred years and someone else who hadn't had her powers for equally as long.  
  
"Hey there Red, Rainbow." Buddy said as he passed them in the hall, his baritone rolling smoothly over the words. Rainbow turned her head to watch him as he retreated. Of the five Kids- er, Warriors already grown, Buddy was the biggest surprise. He came across as a sports-crazy Kid, but as a teenager he seemed almost like a knight, or some kind of hero from legends. His clothes - a purple tunic over a sea green shirt and white leggings along with blue boots and a blue cape that hung only off of his right shoulder - seconded that, but the thing that really set it off was his hair, which was long down his back in a thin blue ponytail. (or is it pigtail? maybe I watch too much Ranma) As he turned the corner at the opposite end of the hall, Rainbow noted somewhere in her mind that his chain-belt (as she had taken to calling them) was made of amethyst with a sapphire star.  
  
"You're awful quiet up there, Rainbow." Red commented, his voice a startling bass.  
  
"Oh, sorry Red. Just thinking." He flicked his brown eyes up in her direction.  
  
"Oh? What about?"  
  
"Buddy, actually. Was his hair always long before?" Red laughed in a deep amused chuckle, the infectious type of laugh that could get anyone in the vicinity grinning like a cheshire cat.  
  
"That. Yes, actually. And the style does seem to suit him." Rainbow smiled.  
  
"Yea." She glanced back at where he had disappeared around the corner. "He seems kind of like a knight." Red laughed outright.  
  
"That he does, Rainbow. That he does." They entered a room where Canary was helping Violet reach books that would be too high up for her child's stature to reach.  
  
"Hi Rainbow! Hi Red!" she called cheerfully, and Rainbow noted she had retained her soprano voice. Red set Rainbow down and went to talk to Canary. Rainbow looked around, again at a five-year-old's perspective. She saw with some curious interest Indigo sitting on a bookshelf ladder about level with Canary and watching her. Rainbow, rather intrigued, looked at Canary as well. She had turned out to be just the same size and stature as the twins, though she appeared to be an earth year older. Her sandy blonde hair was cut as short as Red's and her brown eyes had deepened to a soft chocolate color. She wore what Violet called a "gi", some type of japanese training clothes, in white with a pink shirt beneath, yellow boots, and a yellow cape that only reached to half her length. Her belt was a sardonyx chain with yellow topaz star.  
  
"Rainbow?" Violet asked for her leader's attention. Rainbow turned to her after casting a final glance at the transfixed Indigo and mentally shrugging it off.  
  
"Yea Violet?"  
  
"I was wondering..." She faltered, and Rainbow nodded to prompt her on. "Have you, in your numerous flights over Rainbow Land, seen what appears to be a very large, very active volcano?" Rainbow blinked in surprise. For Violet, that was an oddly understandable question. She thought for a moment.  
  
"I think so..." she finally said. "On the border between Red Range and Violet Valley. Why?"  
  
"I... well, you know how Prism uses sun crystals for her light powers and you use star sprinkles for rainbow powers?" she asked. Rainbow nodded, finding that to be a somewhat odd question. "Well, that volcano I was describing is called Cinnamon Mountain. It contains the sources for both my and Red's powers." Rainbow took that in and then, with a shock, realized that she had absolutely no idea what powers the other Kids... or Warriors, had.  
  
"Violet, what IS your power?" Violet turned a corner of her mouth up in a very lopsided grin.  
  
"Acid." she stated shortly. Rainbow blinked in surprise.  
  
"How? What? Acid!? What are you supposed to do with acid powers?"  
  
"Help protect the universe from destroying itself or someone from destroying the universe."  
  
"What... do you mean?"  
  
"Hrm..." she sat down on the bench she had been standing on and motioned for Rainbow to join her. Then she grabbed a book from the middle of the pile Canary had retrieved for her. "Back when most races were relatively primitive, our race, the Magi, developed the powers we have today. At that point in time the universe was very unstable and constantly parts of it were imploding and exploding, planets, solar systems, galaxies being destroyed and made all the time." She opened to a page in the book with various maps of the universe, each dated separately, and each with something new and something lost from the one previous. "So the ancestors decided to form a small band, a league if you please, consisting of our race's strongest sorcerers in different fields of magic to stabilize the universe and keep it that way." She turned to a new page, which showed a photograph of fourteen young men and women of the magi race, each wearing belts similar to the ones Liona, Prism, and the first five color kids were now wearing. Violet pointed to a girl that would be considered asian-looking on earth with black hair that had an unmistakably purple sheen to it. "See her? That's my first known ancestor. She's my grandmother, about 5,500 greats back." Rainbow's eyes widened and she stared at Violet.  
  
"You had an ancestor in the First Ones?" Violet grinned in reply. "That's... wow. That's tracing your family line back to the time the known universe began!" She looked back at the pages and her eyes fell on a girl in the middle of the picture, being held in the air by an older boy wearing light colors. Her outfit was mostly in shades of blue, skin the same olive color as Stormy's, brown eyed with black hair in a ponytail falling in tons of waves and loops down her back. Her eyes drifted to the belt she wore - a chain made of some deep red stone with a crystalline replica of the rainbow belt's rainbow in on the clasp. Her mouth opened slightly and a gasp escaped when she realized that she was looking at the first person in her position - the first Rainbow Brite.  
  
"What?" Violet asked, looking over at her friend. Then she followed her gaze to... "Oh! Yes, that's Libra, the first Rainbow Angel and leader of the Angel Warriors." Rainbow swallowed the dryness in her mouth.  
  
"Even though there's been around 5,500 others between me and her, it's still really strange to be looking at my predecessor." She looked at the girl again, and then at the boy holding her. "Who's he?"  
  
"Him? Alexander, the first..." she paused and cast a glance at Rainbow in the manner of someone who is about to point out an obvious romantic interest between two people. "... the first Illusion Angel. Moonglo's job." Rainbow would have jumped and loudly protested such a thing if she didn't know it would draw an immense amount of attention to her and Moonglo. So instead she just tried to look surprised and said,  
  
"Oh." She scrambled for a topic. "So why are they called Angel Warriors, anyway?" Violet smiled.  
  
"Ah. The league was called that for what they stood to prevent and what they avenged." Rainbow blinked.  
  
"The destruction of the universe?"  
  
"Close. The people who died... actually, who simply ceased to exist, when their part of the universe would implode. The ancestors called them 'angels', and so the league was called Angel Warriors because they were warriors seeking to prevent the creation of any more angels."  
  
"Wow." she sighed out, still looking at the picture of the fourteen original angels. "Why are they grouped like that?"  
  
"Hm?"  
  
"I mean, look." she moved her finger across the page. "The seven in the back are lined up in rainbow colors, Libra, Alexander, and those two are right in the front, and those three are in kind of a little huddle over near your ancestor." Violet blinked more than once and shook her head.  
  
"I don't know. But I can look it up. Come back in a little while." And she got up and started flipping through books. Rainbow smiled and shrugged and walked into the hall whereupon turning the corner at the end of it she ran into Moonglo. Literally.  
  
"Oh! Rainbow, I'm sorry!" She apologized as she picked herself up, and offered a hand to Rainbow. Rainbow's mind flashed back to the picture with Libra and Alexander. She blushed a brilliant red as she accepted the offered hand up.  
  
"It's okay Moonglo. I wasn't watching where I was going."  
  
"Well I wasn't either. You sure you're okay?" If Rainbow had been thinking straight at that moment, she might have noticed that her pink-haired friend was just as flustered as she herself was.  
  
"I'm sure. I, uh, seeya then." And they parted their separate ways at nervous, brisk walks. From behind a nearby mostly-closed door a green eye and a blue eye watched, and pulled back when the two parted.  
  
"You're right, Patty." Buddy's voice whispered. "I guess Rainbow does have Moonglo."  
  
AN: So now one of the pairings has been revealed! (I mean besides the obvious and already-revealed Buddy/Patty, Lala/Red, and Violet/Krys) Moonglo/Rainbow! We've got six Color Kids/Angel Warriors left (two of which will not have pairings unless I introduce more new charries) so who's it gonna be? *grins* You ought to know, they've already been hinted at!   
  
The budding romance between two very much opposites, more on the ancestors and Konotoze/Natallians, and possibly a plot! Next time, on The Color of Hope. G'night folks! 


End file.
